Foe Hie Odyssey

True Iridescence led me back out into the night.  After we had walked for about a minute I realized that something was off although it took me another minute to figure out what was wrong.  The artillery fire seemed unusually distant for some inexplicable reason.  The Flankfurters did have artillery.  I remembered several shells raining down when I was on the other side of the river.  “Why are we not shooting back at them?”

The zebra frowned at the word we, but said “We aren’t shooting so that we can conserve ammunition.”

Suddenly I was struck from behind with the force of a runaway train car.  I fell to the ground with an incredible weight on my back.  “You betrayed me!” someone screamed from directly above me.

“Haywire?” I asked confused.  Her response was to smash my face into the concrete.  I could see blood fall from my face.  “Haywire, how did I betray you?”

“You are going after Scar.” she accused.

“I cannot stop the others.  I have tried.” I said trying to turn.  She got off my back and I put an arm around her.  I was shocked to see that I’d become visible again.  Looking up quickly, I noticed that True Iridescence was watching us passively.  I looked at the zebra as if to ask him ‘You are okay with seeing somebody running around in somepony elses skin?’  His response was merely a nod then he walked a few feet away to give us some privacy.

“I’ve been running from that life of raiders and Scar” she said softly.

“And I’ve been running with you away from scar instead of looking for the one who took my life away”  I didn’t have any realistic chance of finding that accursed unicorn after leaving the heartlands, but I kept going as much for Haywire’s sake as because I couldn’t live without her.

“Wasn’t the life we had together better?”

“Than Canterlot? Yes.  I liked travelling with you yes, but I miss my old life.  I want to go back. I want revenge.  I didn’t ask for any of this?”

“You asked to see what raiders looked like.  Then you wanted to find them in Manich.  Don’t pretend you have had no choice in all this.”

I had to admit albeit reluctantly that she had a point.  I was responsible for us getting entangled first in a fight between raiders and townsponies and now in a fight between the legion and the Flankfurters, but I remembered another decision that I’d made, “and the choice to attack three well-armed gryphons and save you?”

Now she was on the defensive, “Hay, I’m not saying all of your decisions have been bad, just this one.”

“What is wrong with getting revenge and getting rid of one more enemy?  What is to be gained by running?”

Her response was automatic, “A long and healthy life.”

I thought over her words and my reasons for going along with Silver Wing in the first place, “A life with nothing in it at all except running and fear, never staying in any town too long, never settling down, and always being afraid that Scar might have agents even this far out.” I swept my hand about in an all-encompassing gesture that ended with me pointing back across the river, “But as Fate or Fortune would have it, here we are hundreds of miles from where we started, and Scar is barely sixty miles from us. So here’s a question, how far will we have to go to really escape him, another continent perhaps?”

Haywire let out a tired sigh, “What else can I do.  I can’t kill him alone.”

“You won’t be alone.” I didn’t want Haywire to have to face anything alone.

“Two against a small army, now that would be a story for the telling.” She said bitterly.

I smiled and moved so that I was now sitting next to her, “it wouldn’t just be the two of us we now have allies”

We sat like that for a few seconds in silence when she said, “And when those allies find out what really happened in Plowton”

“If you were anyone else…” I said surprising even myself with how aggressive it sounded.  True Iridescence shifted his hoof almost imperceptibly towards his rifle.

“If I was anyone else than what?” the mare said drawing away to look me in the eye.

“I don’t know I don’t even know who I am or what I’d do anymore!” I put my face in my hands and growled in frustration.

“You are my friend” she said putting a hoof to my chin and lifting my head to look her in the eye, “Whatever happens next that won’t change.”

“You know I don’t just stay with you for the food.” I said offering her a sad smile.

“I know.” She smiled sadly back.

We got up and let True Iridescence lead us away.  We talked for a bit catching up with each other after being separated for about a week.  We were barely even paying attention as the Zebra led us down into the sewers which were on this side of the river lit by fluorescent lightbulbs.  Eventually we reached some kind of bunker with a rounded metal door emblazoned with an image of a crowned scarlet eagle.  We passed several large rooms, one was an armory, another was a debriefing room, and in another there was a pony speaking into a microphone.  When asked about it our guide told us that it was the civilian radio station and that the pony was giving everypony updates on what was going on in the siege.  The bunker we were in was the hub for all civilian and military communications throughout the entire city.

Haywire and I continued catching up as we were led into some kind of waiting room.  There were only two other ponies in the room, a stallion covered from head to hoof in heavy barding was muttering curses as he hammered away furiously at a pipbuck and a tall bespectacled blue unicorn mare wearing a worn travelling cloak who was reading a prewar book, Marechivelli’s The Princess.

“What I really want to know is why Scar moved to Mareburg.  He had a perfectly nice base in the Heartland.” said Haywire as we took a seat near the blue mare.

“Heartland Equestria?” asked the blue mare looking up so suddenly that her glasses fell down her face.

“Yes actually,” said Haywire sounding slightly annoyed.  She looked the mare over, “Have you thought about getting those adjusted?”

“Well no, but” the mare was saying when Haywire grabbed the glasses in her metallic claws.  She brought the spectacles before her glowing red eye and the iris began to extend.  Her spider arms worked furiously to fix the glasses.  The unicorn mare snorted, “Not everyone gets to have access to Stable 101 tech.”

“Do you want me to make a mistake?” asked Haywire as she focused on the glasses.

The unicorn mare looked down towards her hooves. “I’m sorry, it’s just seeing you reminds me of…” she hesitated a moment, “What I meant to say was, I’m sorry.  I know what happened to the ponies in that stable.”

“That is one chapter in my life I won’t be revisiting.” Haywire said as she handed the reading glasses back to the mare. “How does that work for you?”

“Much better thank you.” said the blue mare as she placed the glasses upon her snout.

“So what brings somepony from the Heartland all the way out to Germaney?” Haywire asked conversationally.  I was examining a peculiar bump underneath the mare’s travelling cloak.  I would have said that they were saddle bags if I didn’t see a pair of bulky saddlebags sitting on a nearby chair.

“Are you an alicorn?” I asked curious.  She looked at me for a long moment as if she hadn’t noticed me before.

“I’m with the Followers of the Apocalypse.” she said and the clasp of her cloak lit up in a black aura, “and yes, I am an alicorn.” Her cloak fell to the floor and her wings spread out behind her.  I noticed two things about her wings.  The first was that her wings were disproportionately large compared to her body.  The second, that there were marks on her shoulder as if somebody had tried to cut the wing off of her.  As I averted my eyes to the floor I noticed something just as bad, if not worse.  Her ankles above the hoof were covered in a myriad of scars.  The mare saw me watching, “Yeah, well uh, I guess you could say that I’ve been in some bad places in my life.” She chuckled nervously, “But that is behind me now.  Now, I know my purpose, and I won’t hesitate to fulfill it.”

“I’ve never heard of these Followers of the Apocalypse.  So that is why you’re here?” asked Haywire confused, “Your trying to fulfill some kind of purpose for them?”

“Not exactly, I’m here because my sisters couldn’t stand me and sent me away, but not before I realized the truth.” She looked at us with wide eyes that looked almost comical underneath her spectacles.  Her face screwed up in confusion for a moment, “I’m sorry, you had said something about the Heartland after walking in.”

“Yes,” said Haywire, “Have you ever heard of a gryphon named Scar?”

“No, but he probably works under Gawd.” said the alicorn, trying to be helpful.

“Scar doesn’t work under anypony, but I found out that he was helping Stern.” Haywire spat the second name as if it were a curse.  I was starting to get confused by all of these names that I’d never heard before.  Haywire would occasionally tell me about her past, but it was always about contracts that she took when she was a merc.  She had trouble talking about what happened before she became a mercenary and until our conversation out on the street she’d had the same trouble talking about Scar.

“You don’t have to worry, one of Red Eye’s slaves killed Stern during the Battle of Fillydelphia.” said the mare.  Haywire seemed relieved at the news.

Haywire almost looked desperate as she asked, “And Red Eye?  Please tell me that he also died in this battle.”

“He didn’t die in that battle, but he is also dead slain by the Toaster Repairpony.” Haywire gave the mare a deadpan look. “She’s more commonly known as Light Bringer.” The Alicorn mare said as if to clarify.

“Good.  I’m glad he’s dead.” said Haywire remembering some old evil.

“So this Red Eye character was killed by Lucifer?” I asked and now it was my turn to give the Alicorn a deadpan stare.

“You really don’t know, do you?” asked the mare, “A lot has happened since you were last in the Heartlands.  The Equestrian Wasteland is under new management.”

“That is excellent, except that I’m not going back there.  You see we’ve got a plan.  We’re going to kill Scar and then,” she turned to me expectantly, “Sorry I’ve been so caught up in this killing Scar business, that I’ve forgotten about everything that was supposed to come after.”

“After killing Scar we are going to live our lives.” I said.

“I guess that will work.” said Haywire with a shrug.

“It definitely works.” said the Alicorn stomping a hoof, “You know what you want and you won’t let any pesky things like details and collateral get in your way.”  The Alicorn looked at her hooves for a few seconds until we thought that she’d fallen asleep or forgotten us when suddenly she looked up, “Would you hate it if I came with you?  I never got a chance to get revenge against Red Eye and his lackeys and whatever this Scar is up to, it can’t be good.”

“We don’t even know your name.” said Haywire.  I had to admit she had a point, but I’d fought an alicorn. They were formidable, so having one as an ally could be useful.

“I think it is a great idea.  My name is Ulysses.” I said offering my fist for the awkward hoofshake.  I was getting really good at this.

Haywire shrugged, “What the hay, we could definitely use the help.” she offered her hoof in turn. “I’m Haywire.”

“And they said I couldn’t find friends,” Haywire and I exchanged glances, “My name is Sable Grace”

*****

We talked in the waiting room for about half an hour before someone came over to speak with us.  “Ulysses and Haywire.” called True Iridescence.  We got up and followed the soldier into an office.  The room was fairly Spartan.  There was a filing cabinet in one corner and a table with a coffee maker in the other.  There was an ornate desk with a computer terminal on it along with several maps, and letters stacked neatly in the corner beside a mug holding an assortment of multicolored pens.  A flag was pinned up along the back wall of the room proudly displaying the image of a white gryphon wearing a crown and holding a magnificent white prewar suspension bridge in its talons and all of this was upon a blood red field.

A sky blue earthpony stallion with a slicked back black mane sat behind the desk. “My name is River Waltz and I believe I already know who you are,” the pony said with a smile.

“Oh,” asked Haywire narrowing her eyes, “and who do you think we are?”

“I think that the two of are the ones who are going to get these damn gryphons off our backs.” he said as his smile faded slightly as he met Haywire’s eyes. “You’ll be helping a lot of people.” he said quietly.

“Yes I suppose that we will be.” Haywire said just as quietly.

“I want to first thank you on behalf of all of the people of Flankfurt.” River’s smile was back, “Coffee?”

“Yes please” we said in unison.

River poured coffee into two clean mugs, “So I take it that you will be going to Mareburg to kill Scar?”

“Yes we will.” I said smiling back as I accepted my coffee.

“And you know about the outbreak there?” he asked.  He raised an eyebrow at our blank expressions, “You don’t know about the outbreak do you?”

“No, what is this about an outbreak?” asked Haywire sounding uncertain.

“Before the war it is said that there was a terrible disease that swept through the population and killed quite a few ponies.  During the war the MAS tried to weaponize the disease.  It ended badly as I’m sure you can imagine.  Even today the virus is still a menace upon society.” Looking into his face and hearing his voice, it almost seemed like he could relate to the plight of the infected.

Haywire sighed, “But what does this change?  We still have to find some way to kill him.”

“I take it that you don’t want to risk you or any of your companions getting infected.” said the Stallion.

After hesitating for a moment I said, “That is correct.”

“As it so happens, I have vaccines.” the stallion smiled.

“I take it that you want something for them?” Haywire said as she ground her teeth. “That is how it is in this wasteland, right?  I scratch your back, you scratch mine?” she spat that last part looking rather sick.

“Something like that, yes.” River’s smile turned into a crazy grin.

I sighed burying my head in my hands, “Who do you want us to kill?”

“Kill?  Who said anything about killing?” asked the stallion trying to seem shocked.  It didn’t work though as his face was still locked in a smile.

“It seems that whenever I need to help someone do something it usually involves killing.” I looked up, my hands still covering my face, “I am fucking sick of all this killing.” I growled through my fingers.

“Like I said, I never said anything about having to kill.” he stopped smiling suddenly, but his maniacal look remained and there was a dangerous light in his eyes, “There is something that I need you to get for me.  It could hold the secret to ending this entire damned war and bringing the legion back to the bargaining table.”

“Back, I thought that their attack was a complete surprise?” I asked eyeing him suspiciously.

“It was, but we knew that we’d gotten on the legion’s bad side even before that.” River Waltz leaned forward conspiratorially, “You see, the legion sent some delegates a couple months back even before the Legate Marcus’s Manich Massacre.  The legion came wanting to buy our bridge.  We said no these bridges are our livelihood.  The legion didn’t like that and their representatives went away in a rage.”

“Why couldn’t you just let the legion have the bridges or give them a free pass or something?” asked Haywire.

“Didn’t you hear me, those bridges are our livelihoods.  They are the reason why Flankfurt has prospered since the war.  Because of trade we’ve become rich and powerful and it’s the reason why we blew up all the other bridges that weren’t taken out by the megaspells.  The legion didn’t want to compromise, not even for free passes across.  They wouldn’t accept anything less than our complete cooperation and of course management of our bridges.” He seemed almost dangerously calm now, but there was a strange light in his eyes.

“How did any of the bridges survive the megaspells in the first place?” I asked, “And don’t tell me that they were just built to last.”

“The megaspells didn’t directly hit Flankfurt like they did with most other cities.  The point of the megaspells was after all only to kill ponies.  Because of this many of the structures of both Flankfurt and Mareburg survived mostly intact despite the population of our good Flankfurt being,” he paused as if to find the right word, “Substantially reduced. Nopony however was worried about Mareburg giving them any trouble, so it didn’t matter that they were on the very edge of the nuclear blast.  For all intents and purposes that town had been taken out of the war, because of the outbreak that still persists today.” He looked between us for a long moment his smile retuning, “So where does that leave us?”

“What do you want?” asked Haywire taking out a notepad and snatching a pen from the coffee mug holding pens.  I sipped my coffee and was more satisfied by the bitter taste than at any of this stallion’s failed attempts at seeming sweet.  I didn’t like what I saw in his eyes.

“In exchange for the vaccines I want an Aquila.” At our stunned looks he elaborated, “It’s a golden eagle about this big” he demonstrated with his hooves, “the legion uses it like a standard.  It means a lot to them.  If you can get it and bring it back than we can finally have peace.”

“I don’t think it will be that simple.” Haywire said pointing her pen at the stallion.

“Does it matter if it is?” he asked, “You get the vaccines when I hold that eagle.  You don’t even have to kill anybody.  It is really that simple.” He smiled, “That is of course assuming that you want the vaccines.  I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing this.  It is still possible to go through with your mission to kill Scar without the vaccines.”

Haywire looked to me as if this were my decision.  I shrugged, “Give me some time to think on it.”

“Alright, you have one hour, but any longer to make up your mind and no deal.” We nodded and rose to leave when he called back, “and send Lieutenant Iridescence in here.”

*****

We returned to the hotel and I went to talk with Black Hawke.  “Look who decided to turn visible.” She said with a wry smile as she got up off a partially burnt couch and met me halfway, “so what did they want?”  I filled Black Hawke in on everything that happened as best as I could without indicating any prior relationship with Haywire.  Black Hawke eyed Haywire suspiciously.  “Silver Wing will probably want to hear this.”

“Alright, should I wait here?” I asked.

“No, he’ll want to hear it from you.” said Black Hawke shaking her head.  She then led me to a balcony on the still intact third floor.

Below I could see the distant shapes upon the bridges fighting and dying as the legion struggled to overwhelm the barricades.  A group of legionnaires had formed into a block like formation with their shields out to the sides and above their heads.  The legionnaires reached the first set of barricades and made short work of the defenders there using their short stabbing swords.  A volley of grenades and missiles struck the shields of the invaders and many of them were scattered about like leaves and with bits of shrapnel imbedded within them.  The defenders rushed forwards to fill the gap and the gruesome scene was repeated.

“Isn’t it tragic?” asked Silver Wing from a lawn chair as he stared out towards the starlit night and the battle raging beneath us.  I saw that he was slumped in the chair and was trying to keep his weight off of his left wing and right foreleg.  Ember knelt by him and with wide eyes he watched our approach.  Nobody answered the raider chief and the only sound apart from his heavy breathing was the distant thunder of the legion guns.

Silver Wing held a spoon in his left foreleg and he raised it up inspecting it.  We briefly saw the reflection of his eye in the polished surface of the spoon.  Seeing me Silver Wing quickly tried to compose himself, but in his haste he crushed his wing against one of the chair’s metal supports and let out a silent cry of agony.  The dashite looked back towards the starry sky as if nothing had happened with an almost wistful look on his worn face.  He seemed much smaller slumped like this.  It seemed to me that he was like a once mighty angel the prodigal son of heaven that had been struck down by his creator or perhaps he had fallen by his disobedience.  Now this fallen angel lay like a broken toy upon some balcony of an endless sphere of war torn radioactive hell. “Isn’t it tragic?” he asked again.

“How bad is it?” I asked my vision haunted by the images of the hanging raiders, Willow after her horn was cut off, and lastly seeing the innocent lamb of the slaughter Storm Breeze dead by my own hands.  Unconsciously I found myself glancing at my hands as if afraid that they were stained red.  Thankfully none of the others were watching.  Black Hawke was looking mournfully towards her foster father and Ember was sterilizing the medical supplies.  Silver Wing had returned to examining his spoon, but he seemed even more lost in thought than when I had first come onto the balcony.

He quickly stirred himself from his thoughts and his voice and posture regained much of their former vigor, “How bad is it? Well it won’t kill me if that’s what you’re afraid of, but I won’t be winning any Best Young Flyers competitions anytime soon.”  He did his best to turn in the chair and after a little hobbling Black Hawke galloped over to help him.  “So I’d like to pretend that you came over here to spend some quality time with me,” he gave me a gentle smile, “but I know better.  That zebra lieutenant led you and one of the cultists away to somewhere, so I take it that you have something to report?”

“Yes.” I said recalling my entire conversation with River Waltz, “but first I have to ask, what do you guys know about an outbreak in Mareburg?”  Ember looked up suddenly at the word outbreak.

“Nothing much.  My guess is that it has worn itself out by now.  Most plagues do that.” replied Silver Wing looking for the first time since I’d seen him to be uncertain.  Ember looked for all the world like an eager school filly wanting to answer a question from her teacher, but he kept silent until Silver Wing nodded to him.

Ember’s voice was somewhere between solemn and awe as he said, “Unfortunately this is something much worse than a simple plague.  Prewar researchers from the Ministry of Arcane Science built a whole research facility devoted solely to creating the perfect biological weapon and somehow it got loose in the surrounding town of Mareburg.  The disease even before the megaspells were dropped managed to burn through more than three quarters of the population while the researchers were scrambling to find either a vaccine or a cure.  After the strain was exposed to radiation it has since evolved into two strains, one that is fast acting and another that is less contagious and can take as long as a decade to kill its victim.  Between the two of these the virus strains have slowly cut down the population of Mareburg to no more than three thousand ponies.”

“This doesn’t change anything.” declared Black Hawke with steel in her voice.

“I should have known!” cried Silver Wing stomping his right hoof down upon the table.  He grunted in agony and Ember gave the wounded dashite a death glare.  “It isn’t too late for anypony to back out.” he said quietly.

Ember and Black Hawke exchanged a look before they both nodded in unison. “We aren’t backing out now.” said Black Hawke.

“We could probably buy some hazmat suits from the Flankfurters.” Ember suggested.  At Black Hawkes glare he grimly smiled adding, “And if we don’t get enough suits for everyone than I’ll be going in without one.”

“If anyone has to go in without a suit it will be me.” Black Hawke and Silver Wing said in unison.  They looked at each other.

Before either of them could speak I butted in, “Well I suppose that I will have to take River Waltz up on his offer.”  The assembled ponies looked up at me in confusion, “He has offered me vaccines if I steal some trinket from the legion.”

“It can’t be that easy.” said Silver Wing suspiciously.  I hesitantly nodded.

*****

Ten minutes later I found both myself and Haywire back in the waiting room.  True Iridescence disappeared for a moment before returning with maps of a standard legion encampment.  He told the four of us all of the details of our mission.  I would undergo this mission in the company of a Mercenary who called himself a Fell Pony, an overly friendly alicorn, and my dear friend Haywire.  We would break into the legion camp using three stealthbucks and one invisibility spell.  We would go to the center of the camp where the standards were kept and would steal their gold bird and then sneak out.  It seemed so simple yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.